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Monday, 24 November 2014

One of the best and least talked about products I own is the Duo Lash glue. When it comes to applying your falsies, glue is the most important tool that is often completely dismissed! Hands up if you've bought a pair of Primarni lashes and have tried applying them with the little tube of glue that comes with them?! *raises hand* Hands up again if it ended in disaster? *raises hand again*!

Duo lash adhesive retails at £4.99 and will probably half your lash application time. Not only does it not budge at all, this particular lash glue is dark which means you don't have to worry about that horrid sticky white glue showing on your eyelids and being conscious of it all night. I used to stick to the Eylure lashes before discovering this glue as I found that the little tube of glue that comes with the lashes was the best I could find however, with this glue you can buy absolutely any pack of eyelashes you fancy - even the pack of 10 lashes on eBay from China for under £2!

The best way I've found to apply my lashes is to squeeze a little bit of the glue out of a tube and dab a little on a piece of cardboard. I then take my lashes, coat them in glue and leave them for 30 seconds until they go tacky. I then get a pair of tweezers and apply the lashes as close to my lash line as possible and once they're applied, fill in any gaps with a black eyeliner. This usually takes me around 3 minutes which is super super quick.

If you fancy trying out the Duo Lash glue, you can purchase it here from Boots for a well worth it, £4.99. Trust me, you won't ever look back!

Sunday, 23 November 2014

I've tried a million different foundations over the past 10 years or so and have found my holy grail - the much loved, incredibly popular, Estee Lauder Double Wear. I started off using the regular Double Wear and didn't think I'd ever find anything better than that. I then bought the Double Wear Maximum Cover foundation and it completely blew the socks off the regular Double Wear!

I'm not a massive fan of the Estee Lauder counters as I find the staff rude, unhelpful and I feel like they're examining my makeup as I talk to them. I decided to order online on a whim about 6 months ago and have continued to do so as I find the experience a lot better! You get to pick free two samples with every order and the delivery is free too! I didn't take a photo of the packaging but it's super luxurious and matches the navy blue colour of the box and bag above.

I picked a sample of the 'Modern Muse' perfume to see whether it'd be suitable for my Grandma for a Christmas present as she's a massive fan of the Estee Lauder perfumes but I'm not going to lie, I ended up loving it myself! It's quite floral with a hint of musk and I sprayed the sample on me and it lasted all day.

I'm yet to try the mascara sample but I always pop a mascara sample in my basket with every order. Personally I'd never buy an Estee Lauder mascara as I'm happy with my high street mascara staples so couldn't justify the money spent on a high end one. The samples are great for popping into your handbag in case you need a little touch up.

The packaging of the Estee Lauder double wear foundation is classy, something I'd expect to find in my Mum's makeup bag as a child that I'd automatically be drawn to as it looks expensive and shiny!

The Camouflage Double Wear Maximum is a very heavy coverage that I think a lot of people tend to shy away from. It's intended for skin imperfections, scars, birth marks and varicose veins and it honestly will cover all of these things. I actually have relatively clear skin, I get the odd spot every couple of months but my skin does get a little patchy. I don't need to use this foundation for my skin to look nice, I use it because I like the flawless, matte coverage it gives and I've never known a foundation that gives coverage like it.

You only need to apply a tiny dollop as demonstrated on my hand above as a little goes a very long way. It's blend-able but the liquid foundation does dry fast so you really need to blend it quickly! It may take a couple of applications to get it just right but after a couple of tries, you really will have mastered it! If you don't like the heaviness of the foundation, you can mix it with a lighter consistency foundation to ensure you're still getting great coverage. This is something I do when I'm running a little low on my beloved Estee.

You can pick up a tube for yourself here on the Estee Lauder website. At £29.50 a pop, it's not cheap but a tube will last me around 3 months and I'm yet to find anything to beat it.

Thursday, 20 November 2014

As girls, I think we are all a little too familiar with the Christmas party dress fiasco. We spend hours upon hours searching for the perfect party dress(es) when sometimes what you're looking for may just be right under your nose!

George at Asda have completely upped their festive dress game this year with a selection of glitzy, chic, on trend numbers that won't break the bank. Better still, you can pop them in your trolley whilst doing your weekly shop! Can you really ask for anything better than that?

I've picked out a few of my favourites above and I'm absolutely amazed at how budget friendly these dresses are. Every single dress is under £30! My personal favourite is the dusky rose sequinned dress as it's something you could dress down with a pair of cosy tights and ankle boots or go all out and glam it up. The long sleeved black dress would make the perfect christmas meal dress too as it's flattering and will hide that food baby! I also need to mention that it's only £10. TEN POUNDS!

Head on over to George at Asda here and browse the wide array of party dresses that George has to offer. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed. Drop me a comment to let me know which is your favourite!

I keep telling myself that if I'm going to buy more lipsticks, I need to pick more autumnal shades but before I knew it, I was at the checkout clutching the brightest pink in the collection - 'Love My Pink'.

A lot of people have likened these Maybelline offerings to the Nars Lip Velvet Pencils but since I don't own a single Nars product, I'll stick to describing the Maybelline product itself. First things first (hands up if you automatically thought sang 'I'm the realest' after that), I love the lightweight, sleek packaging. Black, white with just the colour of the lipstick - minimal, informative and just the way I like it. The pencils aren't too chunky which are great for throwing in your handbag when you haven't had time to apply a lippy!

I can't stand the consistency of lip liners so I was a little apprehensive as to how the product would apply but I had no reason to be worried as they're actually quite a creamy consistency. They do tug a teeny bot but nowhere near as much as lip liners do. I really like the way 'Love My Pink' feels on my lips but I can imagine that if you've got dry lips, the product may cling to the dry patches so make sure you apply lots of lip balm before hand!

The colour does fade a little after eating and drinking but I doubt that'd be noticeable to anyone else. I'd say the lip pencil lasts a good four hours which is pretty impressive for it's minuscule £4.99 price tag!

Have you tried the Maybelline Colour Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencils yet? They're currently 3 for 2 hereat the moment if you fancy a little early Christmas present to yourself? ;)

Sunday, 9 November 2014

Where did October go?! The month has literally flown by, not that I'm complaining! I've only got five products that I've been loving this month but quality over quantity and all that.

This brush may look like just an ordinary brush but it's SO much more than that! After much deliberation, I finally took the plunge and ordered myself a Wet Brush. It's not that they're expensive at £8.10, it's just that I truly didn't think that any hair tool could replace the love I have for my Tangle Teezer but oh how I was wrong! I can't even explain how The Wet Brush works! The bristles are soft but manage to detangle my wet hair perfectly whilst making the process completely pain free. If you've got knotty hair, you need one of these!

After recently running out, I had to re-purchase one of my ultimate favourite perfumes - Paco Rabanne Lady Million. You know when you run out of a perfume and then re-buy it and you realise just how much you love it? That was me this month. I can't describe the scent very well but think sort of, florals after dark. It's a such a long lasting scent that will linger on your skin all day.

I'm hand sanitiser obsessed and picked up The Body Shop's strawberry hand gel on a whim from Fragrance Direct for a whole 99p! I can't express how much this actually smells like strawberries. You can literally apply this, wash your hands and they'll still smell of strawberries! The best 99p I've ever spent.

Two lipsticks I've been loving are the Makeup Revolution's 'Ken Will Want Me' and Dainty Doll's 'Saucy Sailor'. Each of these lipsticks retail under £5 and are incredible quality. I've actually already reviewed both here and hereso have a read to see what I love about them!

Saturday, 8 November 2014

As I write this post it's officially 46 days 'til Christmas and I have already knuckled down and got some of my Christmas shopping done. When it comes to shopping for presents, I am the most indecisive person. There's nothing worse than buying a present from somewhere and then finding it in another shop for way less than you paid! This has happened to me countless times and I've definitely learnt from my mistakes so I thought it'd be nice to share my top tips for savvy Christmas shopping.

I discovered Top CashBacka while ago but I only started using it properly a couple of months back. In simple terms, Top CashBack pays you for doing your shopping! There's absolutely no catch at all. All you do is sign up through their site, search for the shop you'd like to order from in their 'merchants/store name' search bar and it'll bring up the store. Not every store is listed but there are over 4,000 merchants to choose from so the chances are that if you're ordering from a well known shop, it'll be on there. It'll tell you exactly how much cashback you will earn once you've selected your chosen store. I've used the site since September, have placed three orders on Fragrance Direct for a total of £156.82 and have earned £11.52 - that's nearly enough for a MAC lipstick! Top CashBack are also offering an extra 5% cashback on all purchases you make from October to December providing you make an order from a merchant at least once each month. Sign up here - you won't regret it!

Budget, budget, budget! Before I embark on my Christmas shopping adventure, I make a list of all the people I have to buy for and how much I'd like to spend on them. I usually add a little extra on to give me a little leeway in case there are people that I've forgotten (oops!). This really helps for me as I have four siblings and want to ensure I'm spending an equal amount of money on all of them but also makes sure I don't go overboard. Once I buy a present, I write it next to their name with the amount. I make the lists on my phone so I can whack it out in the middle of a shop if necessary - big family problems!

This might sound obvious but SHOP AROUND! If you go into a shop and see a book that you think someone would like, check the price on Amazon first as it's most likely to be cheaper on there. When you're shopping online, google the product before you purchase from the website. It'll bring up a list of all the current prices the item is currently being sold for so you know that you're getting the cheapest deal.

Look out for discount codes, 3 for 2 offers and sales. Your emails will have already been bombarded with discount codes for your fav online stores but make sure you visit My Voucher Codesbefore you hit that checkout button just in case you can make a nice little saving!

This is a bit cheeky but if you're not seeing someone until after Christmas day then hold out and buy their present in the boxing day sales, especially if you're buying something from Boots as their prices get slashed like crazy!

Hot UK Deals is like my bible during the festive season. I check it religiously and have found some really good bargains from the site. If you're not familiar with Hot UK Deals, users upload deals, discounts and voucher codes that they've found in various stores/online. I love looking through the deals but I'm a bit jealous at times as some are glitches that they've found in their local supermarkets but it's still worth downloading the app!

Grouponis your friend. I've bought a fair few deals from Groupon but you do have to be quick as sometimes they sell out fast! There are lots of deals on there at the moment that are fantastic so definitely have a little browse.

If you're on a tight budget, get creative with the help of Pinterest. If I was a creative person I genuinely would make every gift I give as there are so many lovely, heartfelt ideas to choose from on Pinterest.

I hope this post was helpful for you all. I'll be posting my Christmas gift guides in the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out for those! Eeek Christmas is so exciting!

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disclaimer

All products marked with a (*) have been sent to me for review purposes. However, this doesn't affect my opinion on my overall review of the product. I am 100% truthful with all products I review on my blog.